Are skate tricks supposed to be unreliable and impossible on lost fleet?

[Pastapockets]

Title says it all. I am literally incapable of completing even ONE trick on this level. I barely scraped together for all the prior skateparks, but on this course with this rocket board tricks are impossible.

No matter what I do, Spyro always ends a spin facing left or right. I've tried controller and keyboard and even if I'm holding no keys besides the F and front key, Spyro will always just decide he's going to end a perfectly straight flip sequence by suddenly snapping left or right at the end.

Please tell me it's possible to get the skill point without a single trick.

[Bobywan]

It's doable on keyboard.

[Pastapockets]

Originally posted by Bobywan:

It's doable on keyboard.

No it ain't.

[>M@tEo$<]

Just do tricks on the first two jumps (aside the boat then right after), you'll have the charge bar full for almost the rest of the level (you can do a trick when jumping above the void near the end too)

I did that part with an xbox360 controller, but the camera something makes Spyro rotate in weird ways so he can't land well... You'll have to rotate the camera during the trick ^^'

With this in mind, it gets more consistent... But they should have taken the time to test it more or review the controls I guess

[Emersomatic]

Skateboard tricks weren't working for me when I played that part (keybind issues) but I managed to beat it without needing to do tricks.

You need to hit all the crabs for turbo power and be sure to take the shortcut at the end of the loop and hit the booster star at least once.

Other than that, you're about the same flat speed as the Rhynocs and there's no rubberbanding so if you shave enough corners and hit the little jumps for speed you should be able to get to first place and cruise to the finish. You should still flame the Rhynocs if you get the chance, just in case.

I don't remember if the original version didn't have rubberbanding or if my game is bugged but that might have been a nice addition.

[bazokajoe2]

The way i beat every challenge, except for the points based one is to do one trick, the twisted lemon, on keyboard its jump, W and A or W and D three flips is possible on some course jumps, like the first wood ramp in lost fleet, and the bonus level as well, it also pretty much at 3 flips fills the bar to full making it so two well placed flips and the occasional crab or minor boost will net you a win on all races. If you can try that, its very tricky at first, i started counting to try and help, though I feel it was mostly luck.

[pcdeltalink]

I hate the skateboarding in general (I don't hate the concept but it's very poorly done here) and Lost Fleet was absolutely awful and one of the worst skateboarding missions that I actually rage quit and came back to a few days later.

Way I ended up beating it was that final large jump just get a huge amount of vertical flips there and that should basically fill your boost bar entirely. Enough to get through most, if not all, of the next lap. There are really only one or two other spots in the course with big enough jumps to get any decent tricks done but it's possible if you want a little more boost.

I use 360 controller and didn't have too many issues minus the random rotations Spyro sometimes does which leave you landing sideways. Funnily enough this was the hardest skateboard race for me whereas the final one in the game that I've seen a lot of complaints about only took me about 3 - 4 tries.

[Terepin]

Originally posted by Pastapockets:

Originally posted by Bobywan:

It's doable on keyboard.

No it ain't.

It is.

[NBOX21]

I can't say for a keyboard setup - I only have the Switch version, but pulling off tricks in the skateboard race, while not as reliable as the PS1 original, still worked fine for me. I don't know what the controls are for a keyboard, but it should be perfectly doable on a controller as it was for me.

Originally posted by Emersomatic:

I don't remember if the original version didn't have rubberbanding or if my game is bugged but that might have been a nice addition.

I'm almost certain the PS1 original didn't have rubberbanding AI either (hence why I managed to almost lap them a few times) though they can move a bit slower due to the dynamic difficulty in the original. Failing the race too many times slows down the AI a bit to give you a better chance of winning. (only on PS1)

Originally posted by pcdeltalink:

I hate the skateboarding in general (I don't hate the concept but it's very poorly done here) and Lost Fleet was absolutely awful and one of the worst skateboarding missions that I actually rage quit and came back to a few days later.

I must be the only one that loves the skateboard challenges in this game. Though my experience playing a lot of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and 3 back in the day might have something to do with it. Besides, the Lost Fleet race is at least optional content anyway if you don't care about 100% completion.

[pcdeltalink]

Originally posted by NBOX21:

I must be the only one that loves the skateboard challenges in this game. Though my experience playing a lot of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and 3 back in the day might have something to do with it. Besides, the Lost Fleet race is at least optional content anyway if you don't care about 100% completion.

Yeah, thing is I was going for 100% but my biggest complaint is probably (with a controller anyway) Spyro tends to turn in mid air and land either perpendicular to the direction he is supposed to be going or he lands sideways. As such it led to a lot of crashes that weren't my fault. And I remember Tony Hawk Pro Skater on N64 (though sadly never got to play 2 or 3). That game controlled way better than Spyro does here. Oddly enough the final skateboard race which I've seen a few threads ranting about I actually beat in less than 5 tries so that one wasn't terrible for me at least.

[NBOX21]

Originally posted by pcdeltalink:

Yeah, thing is I was going for 100% but my biggest complaint is probably (with a controller anyway) Spyro tends to turn in mid air and land either perpendicular to the direction he is supposed to be going or he lands sideways. As such it led to a lot of crashes that weren't my fault. And I remember Tony Hawk Pro Skater on N64 (though sadly never got to play 2 or 3). That game controlled way better than Spyro does here. Oddly enough the final skateboard race which I've seen a few threads ranting about I actually beat in less than 5 tries so that one wasn't terrible for me at least.

Did you jump just before the ramp? You can get a bit of extra height and distance if you jump at the edge of a ramp. To pull off tricks, hold down the top face button and any direction (Y for XBOX, triangle for PlayStation). I find it best to hold down the trick button BEFORE you press the direction to ensure the best chance of doing tricks to build up the boost instead of just turning mid-air with no tricks performed. You will need to hold down the direction and the trick button until Spyro is lined up perfectly straight - don't just tap the direction or you won't land it.

Also, if you go through the blue stars on the course, you get a temporary speed boost without draining your boost meter. You can also go through the red stars to get a missile which you can fire with the flame button, locking on to the closest rival and knocking them out for a short time.

Also, there's a move called the "Gnasty Gnorc" which involves one full vertical flip and one diagonal flip (twisted lime or lemon). If done correctly, it is worth 2,500 points and completely fills up the boost bar at once.

And oh boy, if you were playing this on PS1, that final race in the Super Bonus Round will test your skills to the limit. I'm really good at these sections, but even I tend to struggle with winning that race at the end. Those yetis are super tough opponents! On Reignited Trilogy, I beat it first try despite making several mistakes due to the AI being way weaker in the remake. Said victory felt shallow and unearned if you ask me.

But yeah, to truly master the skateboarding in this game, it will take some effort and practice. It's like most Xtreme Sports games in general - very hard for newcomers to get into but a lot of room for veterans to fully master.

Also, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and 3 are awesome games. Go play them if you haven't already if you can.